Pistou Recipe
Pistou not Pesto
Possibly the most famous dish in French cuisine that has Basil as its main ingredient is Pistou which is the French version of the Italian Pesto. Pistou is a similar sauce to Pesto in ingredients and the way it’s made but there are two main differences. The first is that there is no pine nuts in Pistou and the other is that sometimes they use Gruyere cheese instead of Parmesan cheese.
Pesto and Pistou the names come from the latin word Pestare which means, to crush. Pistou is mainly found in the southern region of France. It’s considered by locals to be a Provencal or Nicoise creation. This makes a lot of sense as Nice was for hundreds of years an Italian city. Nice only became part of France around 150 years ago.
Traditionally a mortar and pestle is used to make pistou but these days modern cooks have taken to using a food processor. But famous American cook/journalist and Francophile Patrica Wells is noted as saying that only by using the traditional method of the mortar and pestle will you be able to retain the bright green color and from my experience I tend to agree with Patricia.
My favourite recipe for Pistou is as follows.
Ingredients:
• 4 cups fresh basil, finely shredded or cut with scissors
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Gruyère (or Parmesan)
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Place a half of the ingredients except the cheese in a mortar and pestle and crush until combined and smooth like a puree. Pour the mixture into a bowl.
2. Then repeat the process with the other half of the ingredients
3. Stir in the cheese. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days.
To keep the sauce longer than 2 days in the refrigerator, cover it with some olive oil.
You can listen to my episode on Fabulously Delicious all about the A to Z of French Herbs with a specific episode on Basil via either the link below or wherever you listen to podcasts.